


Whatever It Takes

by Museraid



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Consequences, Drama, F/M, Post-Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 18:17:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6621220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Museraid/pseuds/Museraid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle told Rumple to destroy the contract and do whatever it takes to get her back to her father. He did whatever he could and succeeded, but Belle has to face the unintended consequences of her demand and what they meant for both her and her child's future.</p><p>Spoilers for season 5, up to "Ruby Slippers." One possible future outcome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whatever It Takes

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: no beta

When Belle woke from the sleeping curse she was in Storybrooke again. Seeing her father and hearing his exclamation of joy she knew everything would be all right. Her baby was finally safe.

“Oh, my dear girl!” With tears streaming down his face, Maurice threw his arms around his daughter. “I was so afraid it wasn’t going to work!”

With tears of relief in her own eyes, Belle returned her father’s embrace. “I never doubted you could you do it, Father.” 

It took her a few minutes to notice what was missing. Or rather, who was missing. Belle turned her head and searched, but she could not find Rumplestitskin. Everyone else was nearby, reuniting with family and friends, basking in the relief of surviving the Underworld. Zelena was even holding her baby and smiling at Regina. That more than anything assured Belle that their quest was finally over. But her husband was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Rumple?”

Suddenly all the happy chatter stopped. None of the Charming family would look at her. Snow clutched Neal a little closer, while Emma pressed herself more closely to Hook’s side. Belle turned to Henry, hoping he would answer her question. Like the others, he too refused to look at her and seemed to be clenching his fists. 

“What?” Seeing their reactions she felt her stomach drop. “What happened?”

The silence continued. She watched as the heroes glanced at each other, pleading for someone else, anyone but them, to answer Belle. 

Seeing their reaction, Belle felt angry. She was not upset with the Charming-Hood clan. No, she felt anger towards her husband. She could only imagine what he had done now to cause such a reaction. The fact that whatever he had done was most likely to save their baby did not soften her ire. 

With weariness, rather than the fury she felt, she asked, “What did Rumple do this time?” 

To the surprise of everyone present, Regina was the first to break the silence. “Rumple saved us all.”

Belle blinked in surprise. That was not what she expected. It also did not explain the guilty looks and why no one would meet her eyes. “ I don’t understand,” she admitted. “If he saved us why isn’t he here?” Her mind jumped to all the possible conclusions and it felt as if her heart stopped. Did he…? Was he…? 

No doubt able to see what was going on in her mind from her expression, Emma interrupted her thoughts, “No, Belle. He’s not dead.” Emma paused briefly and then added hesitantly, “Technically. Gold volunteered to stay behind. After we defeated Hades, Zeus appeared. He was not happy and he wasn’t going to let any of us leave. Gold struck a deal.” The corners of Emma’s mouth lifted in the semblance of what might have been smile, remembering all the Dark One’s previous deals, but it was gone almost as quickly as it appeared. “If Zeus let us all return, including Killian and Zelena, then Gold would stay behind and take up management of the Underworld.”

Belle’s mouth fell open but she did not know what she wanted to say. Her mind was still trying to piece together the ramifications of Emma’s words. 

Before she could articulate anything, Charming spoke next, “It was the only way for any of us to come back.”

Snow looked and Belle noticed the queen’s teary eyes. She was struck by how wrong that looked. The Charmings never showed any sympathy towards Rumple. Not even when his son died. Now the one responsible for that death stood with heroes while Belle still sat off to the side. Snow’s words brought Belle’s attention back to the queen, “It was the first time I've seen Gold act so selflessly. He was a hero.” 

Belle recoiled as if Snow had slapped her. Snow’s words were too similar to what she told Rumple right before they reunited. The reunion that led to the conception of her baby. Their baby. 

“But… but… there had to have been some other way.” As she spoke she remembered the last words she had spoken before she pricked her finger: After you destroy the contract, you do whatever it takes to get me back to him. 

No one could dispute that Rumplestiltskin fulfilled his wife’s demands. However, she failed to demand that he be there when she wakes up. She should have known better. Rumple lived for technicalities. She just assumed that, like in the past, he would find a way to break the contract at cost to himself. However, all those plans to get what he wanted had rarely worked out.

Blinking to delay the tears, Belle turned to look at Henry. Surely, the Truest Believer had some plan, some operation, something that might offer hope. “Henry?” 

Henry continued to stare at the ground. At her plea, he shook his head. His quiet acceptance of his grandpa’s 

If she were not already sitting, Belle was certain she would have fallen to her knees, just as she did when Rumple killed himself to stop Pan. Remembering that day she could not stop the sob that rose up. “I’m pregnant.” 

She had forgotten that her father was still there until, hearing her soft announcement, he exclaimed, “Oh, Belle! You’ll be a wonderful mother!” 

The others looked on in discomfort and pity.

Henry moved towards her. He still refused to look at her, but he held out one of his clenched fists. Wiping away her tears, she noticed what she had missed earlier: he was holding papers, which he now held out to his grandma. She eagerly took them, hoping that they would be from Rumple. They were, but there were no letters, no last message. Instead, it appeared to be a will that left all his property and money to Belle and her baby. She went through the papers twice, hoping for anything personal, a note left in the margins perhaps. It was not like him to leave without any heartfelt message or declaration. When Rumple thought he would die after Hook poisoned him, he had called Lacey. Even before killing Pan, he had taken a few moments to express his love to her and Neal. To leave her with just a will felt more detached and hopeless than even his previous death. 

“Did he say anything before you left?” she probed, half terrified of the answer. They all knew what she was really asking: did he leave any message for me?

Henry answered, “He said to tell you that he was sorry for everything and to start living.”

Belle laughed, but it soon turned into more sobs. Thankfully, her father was still with her so with just a turn of her head she could hide her tears against his shoulder, just as she had done when she was a little girl. Her husband’s message, the same thing he told her as he encouraged her to leave Storybrooke, was clear: leave him. The last time she left she had came back and told him that all she wanted was to be with him. How had things gone so wrong so quickly?

Of all the ways she thought their quest to save the baby–no, their story–would end, she had never thought it would end this way.

**Author's Note:**

> Confession: I stopped watching the show after season 2. I keep up to date with Belle and Rumple because they were the only ones I really care about and I’ve been so angry about what the writers have done to Rumplestitskin and I keep hoping that they will give him a break. I’ve also been upset with Belle as well. I can understand what she’s doing, but whatever happened to “I love him. All of him. Even the parts that belong to the darkness”? Oh, the questions of fandom life.
> 
> I still love Rumbelle and hope for a happy ending. I’m not sure that, even if they do get one, it will be a satisfactory one. Both seem to have regressed and are too stubborn to change the pattern. Also, the truth is that Rumple will always have baggage in their relationship, whether it’s his fear of abandonment or fear of being helpless. Belle certainly did not help when she told Rumple in 5x6 that “It’s never too late” and then a few episodes later she tells him that it might be too late for them. Both are imperfect and making mistakes. /End rant
> 
> I have a few ideas on how to continue this dabble, and at least make it bittersweet, but it’s dubious whether or not I will. It’s been years since I wrote fanfiction, but I felt like I needed to get this out.


End file.
